WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The city of West Palm Beach announced Thursday that organizers of MoonFest opted out of hosting the annual Halloween event for the second year in a row.
Moonfest has been a staple for downtown West Palm Beach for nearly 30 years.
The event brings in thousands of bar hoppers and partygoers alike to Clematis Street, which is usually a big boost in revenue for businesses downtown.
"It's absolutely huge for us. It brings in not only the clubgoers, but the people that like to celebrate Halloween," said Nito Longinos, the general manager at Clematis Social. "The guests that don't occasionally get to come out every Monday to through Friday, you know, they want to get dressed up come experience what we have to offer, what the street has to offer, what the restaurants and bars on Clematis Street have to offer."
Longinos said while MoonFest may be canceled, Clematis Social will be open for business.
They're dubbing themselves the unofficial Halloween party and encourage all Halloweeners to go out and celebrate not just at their establishment, but at all area bars and restaurants that could use the support.
"We're welcoming everybody. We want everybody to come back," said Longinos. "If the pandemic is affecting you directly, we respect that and we want you to know that we're here for you, we care about you, but we welcome you all back and we're here. We're ready to show you guys a good time and, officially, we're back. I mean, Clematis Social has been back and we're ready to go."
In a statement about MoonFest, the city of West Palm Beach said, in part:
“We are grateful to the organizers of Moonfest for nearly three decades of their event on Clematis Street. The organizers decided against producing the event this year. In informing us of their decision, the organizers cited their inability to comply with the city’s safety requirements. The public’s safety is and always will remain our top priority.”
The city is hosting some family-friendly Halloween fun.
Everyone is invited to a family-friendly Clematis by Fright event on Oct. 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Great Lawn and to the Franken Fountain Light Show at the Centennial Fountain.